Fence-wire fastener



R. C. fKNoPKE FENCE WIRE FASTENER Oct. 7, 1924.

Filed June 4, 1923 L juve/fol? Patented Uct. 7, 1924.I

isiost ortica.

RAYMOND C. KNOPKE, 0F GLENELLYN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 CALUMET STEEL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION ILLINOIS.

FENCE-WIRE FASTENEB- Application led June 4,

-To all whom 'it may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND C. KNorKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glenellyn, in the county of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fence-Wire Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fence wire fasteners and has for one of its objects to provide fasteners which may be readily applied to the posts and be snapped over the fence l wires to hold the latter against the posts.

A further object of therinvention is to provide fasteners adaptable for fence posts made of T-bars and to hold the wires against the posts without bending parts of the fas- 'tener over the posts, as heretofore.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a front view of a metal fence post having fence wires attached thereto by fasteners of my invention;

F ig. 2 is aperspective view of one of said fasteners;

Fig. 3 is a side view showing a fastener applied to the post in position before being snapped into engagement with a fence wire;

Fig. 4 is a. like view showing the fastener snapped on a wire, the front sections of the fastener being bent back in dotted lines into final fastening position;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of construction.

In the drawings, the metal fence post 1 is T-bar in form and this has a front flange or head 2 and a rear flange or mid-web 3. The lower end of the post is pointed -to facilitate driving it into the ground, and the front flange 2 has a low rib 4 extending lengthwise thereof and from which project a plurality of lugs or studs 5, 5. The studs or lugs 5 are spaced regularly apart lengthwise of the post and the ones above the ground either form supports for the horizontal fence wires 6, 6, as shown in Fig. 1, or prevent vertical displacement thereof when the wires do not restkon the studs but lie between them. To do this said studs or lugs 5 project out from the post beyond the wire 6, 6, asshown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

The post 1 is provided adjacent its lower end with an anchor plate 7 having two holes 1923. Serial No. 648,142.

orr apertures 8, 8 toy receive two studs 5, 5 on the post. A clip 9 having its prongs -inserted through additional holes l0, 10 1n the plate and bent around the side edges of the front flange 2 holds the plate on the post.

To attach the fence wires 6, 6 to the post 1, I provide fasteners 12, 12. These are preferably made from single lengths of relatively stout and bendable wire of about the same gage as the fence wires, and each fastener 12 is bent to have the form shown in Fig. 2. As there illustrated, the fastener has a pair of diverging legs or side sections 13, 13 integrally joined at the rear end of the fastener by a loop 14. As shown in Fig. 5, the side sections 13, 13 have about a thirty degree (30) angle between them. The forward or free ends 15, 15 of the side sections 13 are ma-de substantially straight and parallel. The end sections 15 continue into downwardly extendin front sections 16, 16 which are substantia ly parallel and of substantially the same length. Said end and front sections 15, 16 are joined by loops 17, 17, which project beyond the front flange 2 of the post when the fastenerI is applied thereto.

In the application of the fastener 12 to a fence post, it is first applied from the rear of the post over the rear edge of the rear web 3 with vthe loop 14 engaging the rear edge of said web, as shown in Fig. 5. The

anglebetween the side sections 13, 13 is such that said sections extend forward from the rear edge of the web 3 to the side edges of the front flange 2 and have the straight end sections 15, 15 at said edges, as shown. At this time, the front sections 16, 16 eX- tend downward toward the fence wire 6 below, as shown in Fig. 3. Said front sections 16, 16 are inclined outward, as indicated in Fig. 3, and the loops 17 stand beyond the side edges of the front flange 2.

By this construction, the fastener 12, when moved down to eno'age the adjacent fence wire 6, first has its front sections 16, 16 contact with the wire at the outside of the same, and, by reason of the resiliency of the fastener, the front sections 16, 16 spring or yield outward as the fastener is forced down over the fence wire. When the u lper ends 18 of the front sections 16 are rea ed, the fastener snaps over the fence wire, the

latter going into the loops 17, 17, thereby holding the fence wire against the front Hange 2.

After the fastener 12 has reachedl this position, its front sections 16, 16 may be allowed to extend downward below the fence wire, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4c, until all the wires have been secured to the post by fasteners 12. When that has been done, the front sections 16 are bent upward and rearward toward the side sections 13, 13 to close the loop 17 against any possibility of accidental opening to release the fence wires as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. rllhe loops 17, 17 not only retain the engaged fence wires against outward movement from the post, but allow the fence wires to move endwise as the fencing is being made taut as well as under expansion and contraction from the heat and eold.- The front sections 16 in conjunction with the side edges of the post flange, 2 sufficiently close the loops 17 against releasing the fence wires when the front sections 16 are left unbent, although it is preferable to close the loops from below by bending the sections 16 in the manner described.

The fasteners 12 hold the fence wires on the post without being required to bend or clinch the f-asteners about any part of the post. 'The snap action of the fasteners 12 is an important factor, because it allows the fasteners to be quickly and readily appliedl to the fence wires. The fasteners being open to span the post is also an important feature, because it allows the fasteners to be quickly and easily applied to the' post from the rear and be stopped in position to engage the fence wires by the mid-flange 3 with no particular -accuracy required in positioning the fasteners on the post.

The fastener 172a of Fig. 6 is like the one 12 above described with the exception that the loop 17a is bent to stand above the adjacent side section 13. Otherwise the structure is the same as for the fastener 12.

ll claim as my invention:

1. A fence wire fastener formed from a single piece of relatively stoutbendable wire bent to provide side sections joined at their rear ends, front sections at the outer ends Mmes@ fence wire on forcing the front sections downward across the same, said front sections having all .portions in the respective planes thereof and formed to pass across a fence wire on the application of the fastener thereto.

3. A fence wire fastener for T-bar, posts, comprising diverging side sections to extend from the rear edge of the midweb to the side edges of the front flange of the post, said side sections being joined by a loop at their rear ends to span and engage the rear edge of said web, said fastener having downwardly extending front sections joined with the free or outer ends of the side sections, said front sections being inclined outward to pass over a fence wire, said front sections having loop portions where they join the side sections to receive the fence wire after the. fastener has been snapped over the same, said fastener being formed of bendable wire permitting the front sections to be turned back toward the side sections to close the loops at the fence wire.

4. A fence wire fastener for T-'bar posts, comprising diverging side sections extending from the rear edge of the midweb to the side edges of the front flange of the post, said side sections being connected at their rear ends by a loop extending about and engaging the rear e e of said web, said side sections being provi ed at their free oroouter ends with substantially straight, parallel sections to be on opposite sides of said front flange and extending outward beyond the same, said fastener having front sections directed outward away from the post to pass over a fence wire, said front sections having loops joining them with the straight ends of the side sections to receive the fence wire when the fastener is snapped overthe same, said fastener being formed from a single piece of stout bendable wire whereby the front sections may be bent back toward the side sections to close the loops at the fence wire.

5. A fence wire fastener, comprising side sections diverging from eachother at one end at approximately 30 degrees, said side sections being connected at their rear ends by a loop portion, said fastener having front sections at the free ends of the side secL tions, said front sections being transverse to said side sections and on the same side thereof, said front sections having loops where they join the side sections to receive a fence wire, and said front sections being inclined outward from said loop.

ln testimony that lf claim the foregoing as my invention,'l[ ax my signature, this 31st day of May, 1923.

anrnonn c. nnornn. 

